


That's Showbiz, Pal!

by TheBean170



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fair warning things will get more serious down the line, Hollywood ghosts, Jamie is more important than he seems, Lapis has a gift, Peridot wears a bowtie, Rockstar AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 08:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22966606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBean170/pseuds/TheBean170
Summary: Lapis moved to Empire City hoping to make it big as the first "real" musician there. But as the days go by and the bills get heavier, she's desperate for any sort of help she can get in order to keep the gigs flowing.That's when she stumbles into the most peculiar bar and into the strangest lounge singer she's ever seen perform.At least the mask he wears is obvious to spot. Others may be harder to notice.
Relationships: Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	1. Last Bus Out of Beach City

"Street lamp."

"Liquor store."

"Street lamp."

"Convenience store."

Lapis sat in the very back seat of the bus, staring out the window, watching the structures pass by as she patiently waited for the final bus. She was the only one left on the vehicle, almost all got off at the penultimate stop. Few, if any, rode the bus through the whole route.

The moonlight illuminated her dyed blue hair, a choice she thought would add to her aesthetic appeal. She would need unique and flashy for where she was heading.

Despite it being twenty past midnight, and all the tiredness that invaded her core, she couldn't find it in herself. She was too giddy. Her finger rhythmically tapped the electric guitar case that sat on her lap, the only personal effect (besides a backpack full of clothes and the cheapest laptop one could buy) she had left from her hometown in Beach City.

Everything else was sold away to afford her new life.

"Last bus outta town, huh? What're you looking for in Empire City, kid?" The bus driver asked, his eyes looking into the top mirror, focusing on his only passenger.

"I… I don't really know. But all I know is I have something to say to the world, and I can't do that on the stages of local churches and dingy bars back home." Lapis responded curtly, her knee bouncing nervously.

"If it's any sort of comfort, I hear it's a lot easier for little leaguers to make it big out there."

Lapis took that as the end of the conversation, and looked back out the window.

"Lamp post."

"House."

"Lamp post."

"Dive bar… Holy. Shit."

The bluenette left her seat and moved closer to her window, looking outside and trying to get as good of a look as she could.

Empire City, in all its glory, stood on the horizon of the road ahead. The right lights of the skyscrapers broke through the twilight darkness, and spotlights from theaters and big venues could be seen shooting through the clouds. It almost seemed like a crown, a glowing monument sitting atop the Delmarva landscape. It called out to Lapis, she was a moth caught in its flame.

That's where she was meant to be. She may have been born in Beach City, but her home was definitely in Empire City.

The bus driver whistled in marvel. "Damn, that view never gets old. I rarely get to see it nowadays." He said.

"Why… not?" Lapis muttered, still plastered to the sight.

"Well, not enough leave for the city that'll let me take the trip there. And, sure as hell, no one ever wants to leave it."

Lapis kept on staring, her heart pumping with anxiety and aspiration. She had stage fright with no stage, butterflies swarming in her stomach as the bus got even closer to the outskirts. This was it, this was the big leagues. This is where she would finally strike out, and it would be all her. 

The bus rode into the bustling metropolis, and the young guitarist watched the different people that passed by. They weren't quite in the entertainment district yet, more so the poorer (relatively speaking) residential center in the outer rim. These people dressed in middle class clothing, upper and lower, and moved about the streets despite it being twilight hours.

The bus pulled into the final stop, resting at the company building in its own terminal. Lapis took a deep breath before gathering up her backpack and her guitar case, shuffling up to the front door and down the steps.

Before she finally left, however, the bus driver called out to her.

"Hey, kid?" He said, causing her to turn around and face him, "A word of advice: Don't lose sight of what you're here for. It's real easy for someone talented to make it rich here. It's a whole 'nother thing to keep your character intact through it all."

Lapis nodded in appreciation and left the bus, watching the doors close for a moment, between her and the Beach City route.

She was an Empire gal now.

"Alright, alright. Keep calm, Lapis. You'll be fine, just get to the street and orient yourself." She whispered under her breath, regripping her guitar case and soldiering on.

She bumped and pushed through the busy bus depot, still bustling with people all trying to get routes to important business meetings. Each one she accidentally hit gave her a side glance at first, before noticing her guitar case.

At that, they shook their heads with a knowing glance.

Lapis finally managed to push her way out of the building, on to the noisy and crowded streets of the city. She had to will herself to keep her ears uncovered as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a piece of paper with a set of directions written on them.

Yep, the phone was sold too. Every penny from it helped.

She puzzled over the directions, confused at the obscured and missing signage of the roads combined with the time of night putting strain on her mind. Eventually, she relented, and asked someone passing by her for help. The kind hearted soul let the bluenette know that she was quite a ways away, and would be better off getting a cab to her destination.

Her mind was foggy from the lack of sleep, her backside was numb from sitting so much, and her guitar case was getting heavier by the minute…

… But when she heard the _lowest_ price for a cab to get to the address, she settled for walking. The pain of her body felt much better than the pain she would've felt in her bank account.

The city district changed over the course of the walk to her destination. The buildings and business changed to smaller and more manageable sizes, more akin to the bigger parts of Lapis's hometown. When she reached the end of her journey, the local was notably middle class, but still reminiscent of the glitzy glamour of inner Empire.

The place she stopped at was a smaller motel-esque building, with a large neon sign on the front side of the building, lit up in bright blue and white.

**_ The Mirror Motel. _ **

**_servants to _ ** **_our every whim_ **

The tagline of the building didn't actually read as such, but the remaining lights had burnt out, leaving only the strange message on the front wall.

Lapis dragged her aching feet into the front lobby, gently setting down her guitar case before unceremoniously flopping onto the waiting couch against the back wall. She forced her eyes open as she observed the dingy, eighties wallpaper that had probably been there since the place had been built.

The front desk attendant silently observed the tired guitarist for a moment before clearing her throat. She jerked her head up before remembering what she was doing there, jolting up from the couch and approaching the desk.

"Sorry about that, heh. Long walk here," She said, digging out that piece of paper again, "I have a reservation for a room here, under the name Lapis?"

The attendant, with a vacant expression, said nothing and redirected her attention to the old computer that sat behind the desk, typing in Lapis's name and waiting an ungodly amount of time for it to load. When it finally registered, the attendant looked over the dates reserved and turned around to the key rack behind her, grabbing a key and handing it back to the customer.

"Room 3, your room's been paid for the next three days." She said blandly.

Lapis grabbed the key and flashed a smile she had been practicing in her bathroom mirror before she left home. "Thanks a mil."

She grabbed her guitar case and backpack and walked down the hallway connected to the lobby, the rooms all being numbered out of order. It took her awhile to find her room, but when she did she looked at the door like a gateway to heaven.

A heaven to sleep in, that is.

She unlocked the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind her with her foot.

The room itself had plain beige wallpaper, and a two rooms in total: a bathroom and the main room. The main room held only a bed, a small desk, and a tiny lamp that barely illuminated anything. At the very least, the bed seemed clean enough, and the one thing that was an absolute positive was the window that allowed for a full view of the city.

And while she hadn't checked, she was sure the bathroom was full of moisture stained tiles and an old shower curtain.

Lapis expected nothing less. She hadn't paid for luxury, she paid for her place in the kingdom. Now was the time to earn her rank. Even if this dingy motel room gave her the shivers, if it meant staying in this beauty of a town, she'd cozy up to it as if it had been her childhood home.

She set down her guitar case, placed her backpack on the desk, and faceplanted straight into the bed, cuddling up to the half-nice, half-dusty smelling covers as she shut her eyes. She didn't even bother to turn off the lights, letting sleep claim her.

First night of a new life.

And as she drifted off, she could swear she heard the city singing to her, beckoning her.

**_Like the sirens to Odysseus._ **


	2. Warm Ups in Daydreaming

That very morning, as the sunlight shined on through her window and straight into her eyes, Lapis shot up from her bed and immediately grabbed her laptop, a beat up little thing with a few music stickers and a dusty screen she always forgot to clean.

She let out a brief yawn before taking a seat at the small desk in front of her bed, combing a hand through her hair as she waited to connect to the Wi-Fi.

"Here we go, time to make end's meet." She sighed to herself. She opened up dozens of tabs, all from different bars and venues in town, looking to see if there were any available positions for "struggling musicians willing to play for table scraps."

Open mics, bare minimum pay, anything was on the table as long as it helped pay for dinner and the next day of her motel bill. She sent out a multitude of emails, left a few messages on social media pages, and had an Instant Message "conversation" with a not-so-nice fella who thought 'exposure' was good enough payment.

Honestly… to Lapis, it could be. Getting noticed by bigger venues and more popular people was her dream, but that's not what she really needed right now. She was in a completely foreign land with no one to back her up, living money was far more important than exposure right now.

As she sent out the last of her requests to play, her stomach growled within her, sending the unpleasant signal of hunger to her brain. Checking the time on her computer, she realized it had been almost twelve hours since she last ate. She really lost track of how busy these last few days had been.

Getting up from her desk, she decided to spend a few precious dollars on something as trivial as sustenance. She left and locked her temporary room, walking down the hallways and leaving the building.

Empire City was a different beast in the daylight. Cars merely littered the streets rather than overcrowding them, people walked in the morning with tired expressions and hazy eyes, and the bright lights and neon glows were shut off as the sun hit the skyscrapers. If nighttime Empire was like a giant party, then daytime Empire was most certainly the uncomfortable hangover the partygoers woke up to.

Lapis squinted in pain as the full force of the sunlight hit her all at once. She shielded her eyes as she looked down the streets for any sort of restaurant or food cart when she spotted a small little diner on the other side of the avenue, nestled between a clothing store and an apartment tower. She strolled across the street, reaching the building and holding the door open for a mother and her child who she followed in after.

The diner was quite busy, with graveyard shift workers, the few families still left in the city, and twitchy office workers all filled into the booths or seated at the counter. Lapis walked into the last empty booth and took a seat, resting her head on her hand while she waited for service from one of the many waitresses and waiters scrambling about like worker ants.

The bluenette tried to imagine what it would be like to dine with the big wigs in the entertainment district. Her, sauntering into the famous _Cracked Omelette_ on a red carpet, showing all those stuffy managers and sellouts what a real artist looks like with just a smirk. Sitting down at one of those fancy tables, chatting it up with the other musicians she loved and respected, maybe even ordering a giant plate of-

"- Pancakes?"

She was jolted out of her daydream by a shorter waiter, with curly black hair and strangely pink eyes.

"Sorry, didn't catch that." Lapis admitted.

“I was just asking if you’d like to try our special Empire Tower Pancakes? Special deal today!”

"U-Uh," Lapis almost reached for the menu before realizing she was eating on a budget, "No thanks, I’ll have, uh… what's the cheapest thing on the menu?"

The waiter tapped his temple with his pen before a look of realization overcame him. "Oh, that would be the Slightly Awake. It's about… $9.79. Anything else?"

Lapis sighed in relief, the price wasn't as bad as she thought. "Yeah, just a cup of coffee," she said, passing back her unused menu.

The waiter smiled and quickly strolled away. In a few moments, both her coffee and a plate of an egg, grits and two strips of bacon were set down in front of her.

It wasn't the _Cracked Omelette_ , but it wasn't that bad either.

~♫~

After getting back home, she took a nice long shower, washing away the top-level stress she had been brewing up since last night, as well as the little bit of grime she got from stepping in a puddle while getting on yesterday's bus.

She stepped out after a solid fifteen minutes, wrapping a slightly raggedy towel around her body and exiting the bathroom with a wall of steam leaving with her. She sat back down at the desk once again, drying her hands on the towel before checking her emails for any responses.

“Let’s see here… Junk mail, spam mail, Uh… don’t remember signing up for whatever that is…”

She sighed, leaning back in the chair.

“Nothing yet…”

She looked down at herself and got up to change into an actual set of clothes. She donned a pair of boxers she dug out, a sports bra, and a black t-shirt from her backpack. She was gonna grab her pants next when she shifted her leg, her foot accidentally bumping into her guitar case. She stared at for a moment before smiling to herself.

“Y’know, I haven’t actually played since I got here,” she spoke, standing back from her backpack and opening up her guitar case, “might be a good idea if I’m planning to play stages anytime soon.”

Once the lid was up, she stared in admiration. Every single time she saw her guitar, she was enraptured.

It was an electric guitar, painted in hues of blue, darkest at the bottom and lightest at the top. The headstock was specially carved to seem like a set of ocean waves on the side, and the neck and dial knobs painted white. There were wavy patterns along the sides of the body, and there was a special set of keys right underneath where her arm-strap connected.

It was a beauty, by her side since she…

Left her first home.

Lapis carefully removed her guitar from the case, also removing a tiny speaker from one of the side pockets. It wouldn't allow her to hear the guitar properly, but it would have to do in her conditions. She also grabbed a small, brown leather notebook that had been placed under the guitar, setting it on the desk beside her laptop.

She connected the guitar and the speaker to an outlet nearby, cranking down the volume as to not disturb any other guests in adjacent rooms. She sat down on the carpeted floor of the building, leaning back against a wall.

She took a small pick from the case and gave a gentle strum, enjoying the beautiful sound that emulated from it. It may have come from the speaker, but Lapis always felt the music from somewhere deeper within herself, somewhere she would never be able to find but had to trust was still there.

She practiced a small set of warm ups, a routine she had established when she first started becoming more serious about a career in music. As she got more and more into the groove, she realized there was another part of her act she had yet to exercise yet.

_"Do, Ray, Me, Fa, So, La, Ti, Da,"_ she sang, strumming her guitar with every change of the note.

After some long tones and a few dexterity practices, she came to her last part of the warm up routine.

She pressed one of the hidden keys under the body of the guitar, set her pick, and took in a deep breath.

With one strum of the strings, now sounding more acoustic, she began to sing one of the first songs she wrote, one she used every time she began to practice.

_"It all became so lovely,"_

_"Those bluish skies above,"_

_"Those funny feelings I had never known before I met yo_ \- AAHHH!"

The loud sound of an email notification threw her out of her groove, causing her head to spin around and stare at her computer screen. Once she realized who exactly had sent her an email, she gently sat down her guitar and then jumped up in a frenzy towards the desk.

She clicked open the email, anxiously waiting for the slow motel Wi-Fi to load it.

Once it finally opened, she read through every detail.

**_ Dear Ms. Lazuli, _ **

**_ Thank you for contacting us! We fortunately do have an open spot for you to perform between the Happy Hour and the arrival of our headlining act, at 6:30pm. We would need to see you an hour beforehand, to ensure quality and credibility. _ **

**_ Payment would be fifty dollars, cash. _ **

**_ Sincerely, _ **

**_ Ricky Becker (Owner, Crown Jewel Bar) _ **

Lapis let out a loud gasp, covering her mouth to suppress a squeal of glee. She had been anxious before, money wise, but only now did it hit her that she would have a brand new audience to entertain.

She quickly shot back a confirmation reply, stating that she would meet them at 5:30, on the dot. She laid back in her chair and sighed. She had plenty of time to prepare, pick the songs to perform, and chose the perfect outfit for tonight. All a piece of cake.

Then, she took a glance at the time.

It had never occurred to her that she had slept till midday, spent quite a long time sending emails, and then wasted time doing basic human survival needs.

Because it was 4:45pm. And she was probably an hour away from being ready.


	3. Tough Crowd

Her feet hit the pavement roughly as she traveled down the sidewalk, the path slowly filling with more and more people as the afternoon started fading into the setting sun.

She kept running, her guitar case held tightly under her arm as she tried to follow the confusing directions to the drinking lounge.

She was slightly panicked having rushed through her preparation in order to have enough time to make it to her destination. She didn't even have enough time to pick out what she was going to play tonight.

Right now, however, her only worry was getting to this bar and ensuring she would be able to play tonight. She held tightly to her guitar case with her notebook stuffed into her back pocket.

She was starting to get slightly familiar with the streets she passed, or at least, she thought she was. However, when she finally arrived at an intersection that was supposed to be two blocks from where she actually was, she relented and asked for directions again.

She ran another ten minutes and finally arrived at the location.

Stuffed underneath another apartment building, with a black painted exterior and glowing red, blue, and green lights in the shape of gemstones, was the _Crown Jewel._ Lapis pushed open the glass door, noticing the slightly unsightly interior. It reminded her of some of the bars back in her hometown, and perhaps this was the purpose of the design. At the very back, in the center of the back wall, was a wooden stage, a microphone, and a few speakers set up and connected.

A few people had already taken seat at some of the tables and barstools, most of them workers just off the clock. Lapis nodded and greeted a few of them as she made her way towards the back.

She gave a few knocks on the _Employees Only_ room, taking a step back and waiting for a response.

A man in black slacks, a white dress shirt with rolled up slaves, and dark greying hair opened the door afterwards.

"Ah, you must be our filler act." He said gruffly.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call myself filler, more like uniq-"

"Whatever, get in here," he said, opening the door wider and holding it for the rockstar.

She slipped inside the small backroom, setting down her guitar case and sat down in a foldable chair.

The owner sat down in his own swivel chair, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and putting one in his mouth. Lapis politely declined.

The man looked and observed Lapis, his face scrunching up after finishing. "That really what you'll be wearing?" He asked, chewing the cigarette instead of actually smoking it.

Lapis was a bit confused. Her getup for almost any performance hadn't changed, she always wore red converse, dark blue jeans, and a black t-shirt with a dark grey vest over it. To add to the whole appearance, she had a few pins and buttons she had been gifted from some of the more favored establishments she played at before.

"I mean, I don't get what's wrong with It. It's not unprofessional is it?" She asked the owner. She tried to make it more professional, even forgoing the ripped jeans and piercings she used to have from her teenage years. She knew those would never get her anything credible in Empire City.

The owner sighed. "No, I guess it'll do. It's just… Look, you're probs new to this, so word of advice? Dress to impress, even if it clashes with your own style."

"O...Kay?"

The man bit into his cigarette harsher than before, then plucked it from his mouth and threw it into a nearby trash bin. "Well, I'm 'ssuming you brought your own instrument?"

Lapis nodded, patting the case next to her chair. "Yep, my Ocean Wave."

The man caught himself in the middle of a chuckle. "Well, if it's good enough to warrant a name like that, I gotta see it."

Lapis picked up her case and sat it down on one of the countertops in the room. She clicked open each buckle until the top swung open like the top of a treasure chest.

The owner went wide eyed, whistling as he laid a palm on the body. "I'll be damned. Guess it kinda deserved it's name, huh?"

"Yes sir, and I'd appreciate it if you'd leave _her_ alone for now." She replied curtly, shutting the case as soon as his hand left.

The man raised an eyebrow, but smirked nonetheless. "I'm assuming you can play, otherwise you wouldn't be inquiring."

"Damn right I can play."

"Hmmm… Well, we'll see."

The owner held out his hand for a handshake, which Lapis took with firmness.

"You'll get paid by the time the headlining band arrives. You go on in..." The man checked his watch, "about fifteen minutes. And uh, no extreme stuff. Everyone here may be an adult, but we don't need to hear about blood and shit on our off hours."

"Don't worry, none of my songs are like that." Lapis responded, pulling that brown notebook from her back pocket.

The man stopped in place. "... Your songs?" He asked, hesitantly.

Lapis looked back up from her notebook. "Well, yeah. I write my own stuff, and my hometown thought it was pretty good."

The man hissed through his teeth. "Well, just…" He muttered curses under his breath. "Fine, just make sure it doesn't send my customers screaming."

With that, the man left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Lapis alone. She rolled her eyes at the snide comment directed at her art.

"Trust me bucko, whatever I play here will blow the drinks right out of their hands," she said to herself, before a small smile broke out on her face, "Drinks, now there's an idea."

She opened up the notebook, filled with every single idea, warm up, and most importantly, song she had ever written in her life. She flipped to the page containing a song, one with a strong connection to drink, and not with clear positivity, nor negativity

"This one always got a reaction from the crowds before."

~♫~

Lapis stood behind the stage, plugging in the chords from the speakers to her guitar. She placed the holding strap on her shoulder, pulling out her guitar pick from her pocket and giving a test strum. The sound came through perfectly, however it did silence a large part of the bar, which was now filled, and turned their attention to the stage.

The owner rushed over from one of the tables to the back of the stage. "Hey kid, everything going okay?" He asked.

"Yep, all good." Lapis said, adjusting the dials and knobs on both the speaker and the guitar.

"Okay, just checkin'," he responded, adjusting his sleeves, "Hey, when I'm announcing you, how you want me to introduce you?"

"Water Witch," Lapis spoke the name like an alter ego, a heroic moniker only she could claim.

The owner nodded and stepped up onto the stage. Lapis ignored whatever monologue that he spoke and opened up her brown notebook one last time. She rehearsed the lines over and over again, ghosting her fingers over the strings in the positions for each song.

She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She had long gotten over stage fright, but this crowd was different from her small town. They probably might've heard dozens of up and coming artists pour their hearts out on stage. Hopefully, she'll show them she can be something different.

It was at the last moment she noticed a Bluetooth chord sitting right next to a speaker.

A lightbulb went off. Moving quickly enough, she reconnected her guitar, now completely free of wires and hassle. More mobility, perhaps something more experimental...

"And now," the owner said, wrapping up his introductions, "without further ado, our Guest Player for tonight: Lapis Lazuli, the Water Witch!"

The audience clapped in anticipation and Lapis climbed up onstage, facing the crowd with a charismatic smile. The owner gave a little gesture towards the position right in front of the microphone, and exited the stage on the other side.

"How's everyone doing tonight? Enjoying the drinks?" She started out, getting the crowd a bit more comfortable.

A few of the customers gave cheers of agreement, the front row raising their glasses in response.

"That's good. I see a lot of people here out drinking with friends. I'll admit, when I was younger, I'd sneak out of the house and share a cheap beer or a frat house Mixer with friends," a few people laughed at that, which Lapis nodded to, "But, my family hasn't always been on the best of terms with alcohol. And, sometimes it would hurt us. I wrote this song after one time, when our family was trying to figure out how friendly liquor really was to us. Here we go…"

She took a deep breath, raising her arm in preparation.

She began strumming a repeating tune, a longer low note, followed by three higher notes in short, quick succession. Her foot tapped along with the beat of the music she began playing. After the intro, she leaned in close to the microphone, switching to lower notes on the beat.

_"Orange juice, pour out half the carton"_

_"Grey Goose, pour it, get it started"_

_"Good times, remedy your sorrows"_

_"Baptize, don't worry about tomorrow"_

She sang so gently into the microphone, yet held a reserve of emotion just barely beneath the surface of the notes, like the duality of warm whiskey shared between friends and a lonely drink burning bitterly down your throat.

_"Shake it up, shake it up, now it's time to dive in"_

_"Share a cup, share a cup, now you're screw-driving"_

She began to pick up the pace with her strumming, pushing the tempo along as she progressed through the chords.

_"Every weekend with your friends_

_Every weekday when it ends_

_Damn it's all good, I guess…"_

The music finally reached a new tempo, far faster and upbeat, like when the alcohol reaches your soul but blurs your vision.

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

Her body began moving along with the beat, swinging slightly from side to side as she kept singing her memories.

_"Searching for a new high, high as the sun, uncomfortably numb"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

_"Welcome to the club"_

A rapid slew of notes came out as her hands flew across her guitar strings, her eyes closed in concentration.

_"Welcome to the club"_

She progressed through her 'solo', pushing the chords into a lower register this time.

_"Welcome to the-"_

_"Never dry"_

_"Every day you're thirsty, bourbon high"_

_"Sip up 'til you're tipsy, night's young"_

_"Searching for a feeling, big fun"_

_"Dancing with the demons,"_

She leapt off the stage, not noticing the owner's surprise and concern, nor the straggling eyes that were glued to her song. She made her way through the bar, swerving in between the tables.

_"Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit"_

_"Grips you like a pistol, wet the whistle, wet the whistle"_

_"Abyss of ice crystals"_

_"Every weekend with your friends_

_Every weekday when it ends_

_Damn it's all good, I guess"_

By an empty table, she leapt up onto two chairs, now opposite to the stage yet still in the middle, effectively shaving off five years from the owner's lifespan via stress

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

She lifted her hand up into the air like a drunken student at a frat house party, waving an invisible cup full of bad decisions in her hand.

_"Searching for a new high, high as the sun, uncomfortably numb"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

She gently stepped, almost floating, off the chairs, backpedaling slowly and circling everyone, and with a lightning fast turn of the knobs, her volume and tone turned far calmer.

_"Round and round and round_

_And round and round and round_

_Damn it's all good"_

She finished her route, now slightly spinning as she made her way back up to the stage

_"Round and round and round_

_And round and round and round_

_Damn it's all good"_

_"I guess"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

_"Searching for a new high, high as the sun, uncomfortably numb"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

And to top it off, her opening notes. One low, three high in short succession.

_"Welcome to the club"_

_"Welcome to the club"_

_"Welcome to the club"_

_"This is what it feels like when you become one of the drunks"_

_"Welcome to the club"_

_"Welcome to the club"_

She ended on a final low note, so powerful it shook the base of her heart.

. . .

Lapis stood on the stage, panting slightly, her eyes having closed from losing herself to her memories. Her left hand was still in the same string position for the last note, and her right supported the body. She didn't dare to move, her emotions still tender from, in her opinion, the best damn way she could've started that night.

She slowly lifted her head up, leaving a space of silence for any applause, responses, or even booing from the customers.

Instead, she heard nothing.

Lapis eventually opened her eyes, noticing all the patrons staring at her with their mouths wide open and their eyes staring far off into the distance. They didn't seem impressed, not even disgusted. No, they seemed shocked, shaken up, and trembling slightly.

Lapis gulped, her mouth suddenly getting dry and dusty. Her mouth opened and closed for a moment. She got closer to the mic, bringing it forward with shaky hands.

"S-Some performance, huh? Maybe, um…" Lapis darted her eyes over the crowd one last time to check for even a sliver of emotion, "Maybe we oughta turn it down for the next one, huh? Yeah, this next one wil-"

She never got to introduce the next time, because the bar owner rushed onto stage, wrenching the microphone away and bringing it towards him.

"Thank you, Ms. Lazuli, thank you. Uh, unfortunately, we're going to have to call it a night, the other band will get here soon." She rushed to say, sweat starting to drip off his brow.

"What the hell?" The guitarist hissed.

"Everyone say goodnight, and thank you once again!"

Not a peep came from the audience, and they kept staring straight ahead, even as the owner dragged the bluenette off stage.

"What the-"

"That was too much, pal. You left my customers in a fuckin' coma!"

"I… It wasn't my intention! It didn't even do anything special, I've played that song dozens of times before back home!"

The man sighed, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. "That doesn't change the fact that nobody out there isn't reacting! I didn't pay for some elaborate hypnotist spectacle!"

"You haven't paid me at all, not yet anyways."

"Oh, so is that what this is? Some rat trap to get me to pay extra?"

"How dare you, assh-"

The two might've continued their shouting matches till the crowd came calling, when they were both caught up in a different sound.

Whispering.

Lapis and the owner both shut their traps and looked from behind the stage back out to the main area.

The people were in the middle or hushed conversations. Couples, holding hands, looked deeply into each other's eyes as they discussed under their breath. Senior workers and old friends put down their drinks, the walls surrounding their hearts breaking down as memories from long ago surfaced. Even the drunkards in the back booths looked at their beverages with strange sustain, putting it down and slowly push it away.

The two watched this display with strange confusion, yet admiration all at once. Lapis was still startled, her music had never caused something like _this._

The man sighed and pulled away from the edge. "Listen kid, you put something different into those tunes. Maybe it didn't hit me, but it definitely shot into them. And… And I don't know if I like that."

"Are you kidding, look at them! They'll be talking about… about whatever just happened, for weeks! You're telling you don't want this kind of publicity?"

 _"Yes._ Kid, this is a bar. You come here to meet up with friends, to drink your problems away. I don't know if what you did triggered something within them, but I don't know if they'll come back any other night after this."

Lapis clutched her guitar tighter. "Please, I need the money."

The man reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small envelope, with _payment: $50_ written on the front. He handed it to the performer, then pulled out his own wallet and nabbed a twenty from it, placing it on top of the envelope in her hand.

"That," he pointed to the envelope, " is payment for tonight. And that," he pointed to the other bill, "is so you'll go home early."

Lapis slowly looked down at the money held gently in her hand.

"Listen kid, you got talent. But that kind of talent ain't what this place needs. Keep trying, you'll find your stage. Just… try somewhere else. Please."

Lapis nodded somberly, and tucked the money into her back pocket. She unhooked her guitar from the speaker system, and slowly began to put it away in its suitcase.

At least now, she had enough for another day at the motel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song credit:
> 
> Panic! At The Disco - One Of The Drunks
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc7GJAMo5SY


End file.
